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January 30, 2006
The 'stupidity' of some people (Part the First) It's been a while. This is the first part in a series of essays talking about my observations of people's behavior -- behavior that makes you go, "You know, that's kind of stupid." This first part isn't really about true stupidity, it's more of a warm-up into the whole theme. So anyhow... I've been doing this in-character podcast for the local Requiem game (if you haven't been listening, get caught up on the episodes here, and please note the disclaimers and whatnot). My first show caused a bit of a stir in-character -- enough of a stir that there was concern about my character's survival. I don't have a problem with that -- I actually enjoy putting my characters at risk. I'm a bit of a risk-taker at heart, and there's a vicarious thrill I get when I put myself at risk (through my character)... but it's still safe, because I'm not really in danger of having a stake driven through my heart. Anyhow, there was enough of a buzz over this, and (apparently) a wide enough swath of in-character interest over this that one of my local friends suggested I apply for "Kindred Legend" status -- in the game this represents fame (or notoriety). It seemed to make sense, and so I started investigating the possibility of picking up this merit. I put together an e-mail, and sent it out across the out-of-character lists I'm on, asking if people would be willing to support the application. I've gotten a smattering of responses -- I don't think it's enough to really justify the application at this point, but that's not really the point. A lot of people have responded with, "Sorry, never heard of you," and left it at that. That's cool, and I'm not expecting people to support something they've never heard of. The two notable bits to come out of this are a discussion (of sorts) about how what I've done in-character isn't "legendary", and so doesn't deserve any level of legend status. There are all sorts of logical fallacies going on with this discussion, many of which get hung up on the name of the merit -- Kindred Legend. Now, I'm not the sort of person who gets overly hung up on names, I just find it kind of amusing when people do, especially when there is evidence or documentation that disputes the claims they're making (that is, the description of the merit in the game supplement). So, that's 'stupid' thing number one. 'Stupid' logical fallacy number two is arguing against my request by improper comparisons. I'm asking for support to earn Kindred Legend status 1, this is the lowest level available. One person replied by bringing up one of the iconic characters, the Unholy, who holds Kindred Legend status 5, and then proceeds to say that because I'm not in the same league as the Unholy, I shouldn't even consider the application. Hubba wha? I know I'm not in the same league as the Unholy (who truly is a bad-ass sumbitch), but I'm not applying for Kindred Legend 5! What does her reputation and status have to do with mine? I've been chalking most of it up to professional jealousy, and a misunderstanding of my goals. I'm not really looking to twink out my character, I'm trying to mechanically reflect in-game character and plot developments. If I don't get this thing, it isn't a big deal -- I'm perfectly capable of spending the points elsewhere. The third 'stupid' thing is how many people -- presumably internet-savvy people, mind you -- assume that podcasting somehow requires an iPod. Now, the iPod is a sweet piece of hardware, don't get me wrong, but you no more need an iPod to do podcasting than you need... okay, I'm coming up blank in the analogy department here. The point is, you don't need an iPod to listen to podcsats. Any MP3 player will do -- heck, I transfer the podcasts I subscribe to onto my Sony Minidisc player. Now, if your character is totally computer-illiterate, and you're avoiding the podcasts because there's no way your 300-year-old bloodsucker would listen to them, that's cool, and kudos to you for roleplaying your character. But a lot of these comments about "I don't even own an iPod" are out-of-character, and show a certain degree of ignorance. Yes, I realize ignorance is not the same as stupidity, but I feel there is a link between them. Stupidity can lead one to make statements that betray your ignorance. Taking a step back here, part of it may be that I've recently gotten into podcasting, and I've found this vibrant community, and I've lost a bit of perspective -- it's still a niche thing (like blogging, come to think of it, but smaller). Just because somebody is tech-savvy doesn't mean they know anything about a particular application of said technology. Anyhow, that's my rant for today. The next one will get a bit more specific and personal -- not about me, but about a specific person who has earned the right to wear the "I'm with stupid" shirt that has the arrow pointing up. January 19, 2006
The More Things Change -- Episode Four I spent the morning producing the latest episode of my in-character podcast, The More Things Change. You can listen to the audio here, or head over into the miscellaneous RPG section and read the transcript. January 17, 2006
Yet another e-book! It's been a busy month in PDF-land. Another FASA-era Earthdawn book, The Ork Nation of Cara Fahd, is now available from Drive-Thru RPG. Why not download it today? January 14, 2006
Another Earthdawn PDF! Hello. Another FASA-era Earthdawn PDF is available from DriveThruRPG! The Blood Wood January 12, 2006
Links page update! It's been a while since I updated my links page, and it shows -- several of the links on it were out-of-date, and the organization was, quite bluntly, crap. So over the last couple of days I've gone through my links page, organized it somewhat, took out the old, dead links, and added a bunch of new stuff that I have in my browser bookmarks. So, if you're interested, please check it out. January 10, 2006
More Earthdawn PDFs available Hello all. Sorry I've been quiet lately... I've not been feeling terribly well the past week. Anyhow, we have a few new FASA-era Earthdawn PDF books available. Throal: The Dwarf Kingdom Throal Adventures Secret Societies of Barsaive Why not get them today and fill out your collection? January 02, 2006
The night life continues For those interested, episode three of my in-character audioblog, The More Things Change, is now available. Download it here, or you can read the transcript. January 01, 2006
Happy new year! I didn't do too badly with my update plans for December. By my count, I made twelve posts to my blog. Out of thirteen planned 'update days' that's a pretty good percentage, even if a few of those posts were brief comments, and not true updates. At this point, I'll take what I can get. I watched Dick Clark's New Year's Eve on TV tonight... it was kind of sad. He suffered a stroke at some point last year, and it clearly out a toll on the guy. I've been watching his annual broadcasts for as long as I can remember, and this is the first time it really felt like time has passed, if you know what I mean. It is traditional at this time to announce one's resolutions for the new year. I resolve to write more. I'm not just talking about the required writing that I have on tap for RedBrick, but more writing for pleasure and practice. I have one or two ideas for columns or semi-regular features for this website, and I want to get back to my 'novel' (which I may or may not serialize here... we'll see what happens). That does it for now. My bed is calling me. |
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